New Manufacturing Facility to Power Volt, Cruze
John Buttermore
GM Powertrain Vice President, Global Manufacturing
This is a challenging time, both for the auto industry and the U.S. economy overall. But as you may have noticed, GM is in the midst of reinventing the automobile. I am pleased to report that as part of that reinvention, GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner today announced another major manufacturing investment – this time for a new engine plant in Flint, MI. Representatives from the UAW and the federal, state, and local government joined local GM employees as we broke ground on construction of a new facility on a brownfield site in Flint.
Today marks GM’s third U.S. facility announcement in two month’s time – proving our commitment not only to competing, but to succeeding in the U.S. market. We recognize that consumers demand new, more fuel efficient vehicles and this $370 million investment is a big step in that direction. GM plans to double its global production of these small four-cylinder engines by 2011, with more than half of that increase coming right here in North America.
Flint’s new powertrain facility will produce new four-cylinder engines for two important upcoming Chevrolet vehicles – the Cruze and the Volt. A 1.4L Turbocharged engine will power the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and a non-turbocharged 1.4L engine will act as the range extender on the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle.
The production of these two engines is vitally important to the future of GM, which is why we’re also excited to make this announcement in a place that has such a long and rich automotive history. The tremendous heritage that underlies this city, along with expertise of our employees, the advanced technological capabilities, and high environmental standards (LEED certified facility), will help make this a world-class facility. I am thrilled to have been part of an important step in the reinvention of both Flint and the American car, and know that this move is further proof that GM is here to stay.
- Posted in Cars & Trucks
Ben L.
Hi, just a quick question:
Forgive my ignorance on this topic, but why do GM and other automakers continue to build plants in union states? Wouldn’t you be far more competitive by keeping manufacturing in non-union states? Is there some agreement you have in place with the UAW that prevents you from doing this?
Thanks for any insight you can give me on this, I know almost nothing about the topic!
Phil
This would have been a great announcement if North America showrooms were getting the Cruze a YEAR FROM NOW, but like usual, you simply gave competitors all the time they need to shoot for the
TARGET YOU GAVE THEM. Therefore, rather than be a class leader, or surprise and delight the public when released, it will be seen as nothing special, because everybody knew about it for 2 years, and even LOWLY CHRYSLER WILL HAVE COMPETITIVE OFFERINGS by that time frame.
Honda, Toyota and Ford will fire at the TARGET with laser-infrared guided missles, and at least 2 of them will hit. This is silly, because then you still have to worry about Hyundai/Kia, and VW.
Had you kept the Volt a secret, there would be no ENVI project from Chrysler. Nor would you see the level of activity from other competitors. BUT NO, you still think this is Chrysler 1991 when you have to announce everything way in advance just to survive. For some reason, you REFUSE to SELL THE PRODUCT ON THE GROUND with powerful division-and-GM corporate BRAND-BUILDING MARKETING. YOU HAVE THE PRODUCT. People will listen.
You only do that with INCENTIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS. Huge ad campaigns nobody could avoid seeing if they wanted to. BRAND -DESTROYING!! Why not do that to tell us how fantastic your models are, so people can
wean themselves from BELIEF IN IMPORT SUPERIORITY.
Cobalt just won 2 different comparison tests, but nobody DESIRES one because they’ve had nothing but rental-car talk and styling to go on for 4 years, AND THEY ALREADY KNOW THE CRUZE IS COMING, AND THAT IT LOOKS BETTER, AND IS BETTER, ETC. So you’ve shot yourself in the foot because you NEVER TOLD US THE COBALT WAS SUPERIOR, SO WE WOULD RATHER AVOID IT UNLESS WE’RE PURE MILEAGE NERDS!!! People will always want employee pricing.
Then, to add insult to injury, you talk all this foolishness about raising prices on the Cruze!
I checked base prices and found you are already priced from within a $500 hair of the Honda Civic
anyway with the Cobalt. So all you have to do is ELIMINATE INCENTIVES on Cruze and you’ll have the ‘price increase’ you need. Let the consumer pile on options and accesories because they’re convinced of the car’s implicit value BEFORE THEY ENTER THE SHOWROOM, and you win twice.
But if you raise prices to match or exceed the Civic, they’ll have no reason to switch, because they have a 25-year rep and you DO NOT. GUESS WHICH THEY’LL CHOOSE…
The Malibu shows the way. Don’t get off course with short-sighted profit motives. The market will recover when credit is available again, which should be early next year, so don’t panic.
In the meantime, change your ways or you cannot be successful.
Euroclydon
Mr. Buttermore,
There must be some logic behind the decision, but it’s not immediately obvious. Why start from scratch with a “brownfield site” in Flint instead of using one of the existing plants GM is about to close in Ohio, Wisconsin, or Ontario?
Is this primarily a business decision, or a political decision?
Ben L.
Phil,
I disagree with you with respect to your point on GM announcing the Volt prematurely. The FlexTrain concept is one of those things that would have come about whether GM announced it first or not. The enthusiast and green-modding community has already been playing with Priuses (Priii?) and converting them into plug-in hybrids, while other modders are taking old donor cars and retrofitting them with new electric powertrains entirely.
In the case of the Volt, what would have happened had GM kept it secret was that, a few months later, some other company (maybe Chrysler?) would have announced their version and then GM would have had to hold a press conference and say “Me too!! We’ve been working on one all this time, really!”
There are certain times in history when many people stumble on (or attempt to popularize) the same idea independently. You could say “the time had come” for that progress (Calculus comes to mind). Now is one of those times for the revival of the electric vehicle.
GM was correct in its timing.
motorman
they are using a “brownfield” site because they do not have to go thru the problem of a environmental impact study which could take years.
SteveG
Cruze
Worst Name Ever
You are shooting yourself in the foot before the car even comes out.
Is there really fabric on the dashboard? How do you think people are going to clean it? What about dust?
Is there really a torsion beam suspension in the rear? Not exactly shooting for the class leaders are ya?
This car is looking more and more like a fiasco to me.
Just design it here in NA, call it a Cobalt, and you mat have a winner.Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for a fall.
Christian de Saint Preux
The camaro needed no introduction… It carried no “new” tech perse… so.. why announce then the camaro and keep people off 2 years still?
bluebaby
Please stop the look alike contest already! It looks like a Malibu and nobody will desire to buy it because it DOSN’T look like a Hybrid at all! COME on please change the front to something more like the concept PLEASE!
bluebaby
Gary Besty
Well First of all GM has already hinted that Cruze will cost about 2K-2.5K above the Honda Civic. Well it’s all fine and dandy with me, if GM thinks that the public will pay more for a car from Chevy than for a car from Honda. Also on paper it looks like Cruz has something on Civic, for example it will get better MPG on the highway (40), from what I heard it will have more options and all that. And that’s fine. But as always GM failed to look ahead. One year after Cruze Honda will come out with all new, from the scratch Civic. Today’s Civic gets 36 MPGs on the highway, new one should easily get 40+, I can not comment on the interior and options, but if you compare TODAYS small car offerings from Chevy and Honda, Honda is so far ahead it is not even funny. Which leads me to conclude that new Civic will also be way ahead of the Cruze. GM simply does not have the track record, look at Cobalt and look at Civic, that what will happen to Cruze. The new Civic will most likely be as superior to Cruze as current Civic is to Cobalt.
Chris R
I agree with Ben L, GM’s timing of the Volt announcement was correct. This is the sort of news that must be gotten out first. Otherwise GM would have looked like a follower rather than the leader.
As to the Cruze, we only know what it looks like, and that it’ll be built on the Delta II platform. Otherwise we really don’t know much else about the car. That’s a good plan as GM can put competing features in this car. Why not have a system that competes with Ford’s sync? Heck, even bluetooth would be handy. Hit a button on the steering wheel and it mutes the stereo when you answer or make a call. Hit it again, and the call is ended and the sound comes back on for the stereo. Maybe a simple and inexpensive nav system could be offered as well. The one thing that Chevy really needs to do is rename the car Nova. It’s not a trendy name, and that’s why it will last through the next six or sixteen model changes. GM has got to embrace the tried and true model names that it has and that people know. People will find the name Nova familiar, and may give the car a try because of it. Nobody knows the Cruze and as such may not give it a chance as it has no history.
Alex
I hope these are two different engines! The obvious question is where the electrical motor for Volt will be built.
GMisCARKING
Can you put solar panels on the roof of the plant? That will save a tremendous amount of money on electric bill, especially in the summer.
Edwin
Mr. Buttermore,
These are exciting very cute cars.
Not an engineer, but I know my own GM car’s fuel economy went back to its original 30 mpg after some little ignition pig tail wire parts from a tune up. Amazing, and such a simple thing. GM cars have such great fuel economy. Our DTS is getting great highway fuel economy and using regular gas. Its very impressive. Congress should be thanking you.
Let’s hope they give Detroit another huge loan.
I rented a Grand Am V-6 once that got an actual 33 mpg on the interstate without using cruise control, in the fast lane too.
We talk up GM so much that it prompted my neighbor to test drive one and buy a new Corvette. My neighbor’s 2007 Corvette convertable gets 34 mpg highway with the cruise control on. This is very impressive. Its even more imressive when you consider he almost bought a Mercedes, but opted for the Corvette instead.
It might interest you all in Detroit to hear how he switched to GM product. It will amaze you and probably shock you too. We were driving in recent model Mercedes S 430, a 2004 I believe, and briefly stopped at the Chevy dealer which had the new 07 Corvette on the lot. Even pulling up in an almost new Mercedes and sitting in briefly in the Corvette, a large chevy dealer in Ocala did not offer him a test drive. That didn’t come up until later though. We didn’t ask to test drive it either. We went on our way. We discussed the Corvette engine, and looks, when I told him I thought it was probably the best engine in the world. He said really? You think that? I said yes I do, it even burns regular gas and its very powerful. Unbeknownst to me, he went back to the Chevy dealer and test drove it, then went home and tried to buy the car over the phone, which is what he likes to do. The salesman could not get anyone to do this though at the dealer. So he called a small town chevy dealer, never heard of it miles away and asked them, and they said sure come on. They had a choice of 7 Corvettes in different colors he said. He went in and the small town staff didn’t know as much about the product, but after briefly hesitating, they agreed to accept a cashiers check for 65K or so for the car, title and all. My neighbor surprised us all and just drove up in a loaded white 2007 convertable corvette. He didn’t trade the Mercedes either, he sold it on E-Bay. The large chevy dealer wouldn’t even discuss a price over the phone, and there was no trade in involed, but the small town dealer got the sale and he paid sticker for the car some $65K.
But this kind of stuff happens to GM enthusiasts all all the time. After a while, we hope to chase all the imports off our block by having great American cars in the driveway.
Ignition systems seem to improve fuel economy. Why not look at magnetic ignition systems and supercondonductive materials/processes.
Since we are supporting American auto industry here, can we ask Mr. Wagoner to change your title from VP of Global Manufacturing to VP of American Global Manufacturing?
American Global just sounds better.
Will GM have a V-8 version of this new engine for us ?
Dan
I think that it is great that they chose Flint for the site of this facility! Way to go GM, cant wait to drive a Volt in a couple years!
http://www.ChevroletVolt.org - Volt Fan/News site
Edward Hayes
I do hope the Volt gets the EPA est. 100 mpg rating, not only does it deserve it but it’s also true.
I am glad the government has authorized a $25 billion line of credit to the automakers, it’s the best investment that they can ever make to energy independence.
I don’t think there is a family in America that won’t consider buying the Volt, me included, so I hope you take that money and lay out a big investment and factory to produce it and varients come quickly.
If I were a politician I dream of two things. Energy independence and no national debt or trade deficit. Just think of what we could do with the $300 billion or so we spend on interest on our debt every year. Our trade deficit is to buy oil alone is $700 billion a year.
So we literally thow in the garbage $1 trillion every single year.
My point is, they offer $25 - $50 billion in loans, that is good, but to stem our ballooning foreign trade gap, and help our automakers invest in fuel efficient vehicles, it’s a drop in the bucket.
Anyway, as you can see GM is indispencible at obtaining two of the three most important issues I think that face the nation today. Energy independence and the foreign trade imbalance. What you think I am doing this because I love the Solstice, Hummer H3, and Buick Enclave. I do.
But I also do it because I love my country.
Frank Henries
It’s painfully clear why GM chose the site - Flint must have had the most cash to offer. GM can’t do anything on their own - they have become professional beggars. First you bleed your suppliers dry, many of whom are now bankrupt. Then tap the Federal government with the bailout plan. And now the State of MI, and Flint in particular.
Rick, you have made your bed, but now we all are forced to sleep in it. You obviously cannot run your company by yourself. Yet you turn a blind eye to the dealers and suppliers that have lost their entire businesses under your watch. Why does GM feel such a sense of entitlement? Why should anyone care to bail you out?
It’s been 100 years, but GM is now a company that would sell their mother, stab their best friend in the back, and take without giving back. GM has completely lost its soul. You are but a lifeless shell of what you used to be back in the day when morals, decency, honesty and fairplay were more than idle words.
You have allowed this to happen, Rick. Under your watch. Some legacy that will be for the history books.
Gerard
Let me use this reply to focus on the Cruze as a product more than future plant development or unionized labor.
After commenting at length about the Astra’s weaknesses, I hope Chevy’s engineers are able to replicate the Malibu’s qualities in a smaller package. The compact market has gotten tougher. The new Toyota Corolla has been redesigned to add a dash of fun, the Subaru Impreza has become more manageable, and the Mitsubishi Lancer has become a serious contender in the small car market. Of course, one can’t ignore Honda’s finesse with the Civic.
The Cobalt was a step forward over the outdated Cavalier, but I feel it lags quite behind the aforementioned segment rivals in various ways: interior design, smooth road manners, and fuel economy. (The XFE does help resolve the last point.) I’d like to hand GM my unconditional confidence with the Cruze. The Astra has turned out to be a savable mistake, in need of a stronger powertrain and an upgraded automatic transmission. (A lower price for the two-door XR wouldn’t hurt, either.)
I’d like to see the Cruze be what the Ford Focus was at its launch: a flexibly and sensibly designed small car for a wide demo. Ford let the Focus, like the Taurus, decay. Here’s a chance for the General to take up that mantle and learn from Dearborn’s endeavor.
Nick
Volt 100 MPG:
While this may be great from a marketing standpoint, 100 MPG is of course fantasy because it is not counting the electric “fuel” which will be consumed. For plug in vehicles in general, the EPA will need a new method of calculating MPG which will also count the secondary electric fuel. Otherwise, you may have the reverse problem where customers are unhappy after realizing they are not truly getting 100 MPG.
jg
Love the Regal/Insignia. The LaCrosse is a little too large for me, so I welcome the addition of a smaller Buick. It is about time you guys realized Buick needs a bigger lineup. We know the LaCrosse is to be unveiled in LA, what about the Regal? Detroit? NYC?
motorman
edwin the reason most corvette dealers do not offer test drives is that a person buying a new corvette does not want to see any miles showing. they do not want anyone one else driving their corvette before they do. as a owner of 11 new corvettes i want to be the person who puts the first miles on it not someone who may have abused the car on a test drive. the bigger corvette dealers sometimes have one corvette for test drives but not all.
Euroclydon
“…they are using a “brownfield” site because they do not have to go thru the problem of a environmental impact study which could take years.”
motorman,
Nor would they need to worry about the EPA and an environmental impact study if they were to use one of their existing factories at Janesville, Oshawa, or Moraine. Factories that they have already announced they will close.
David
Euroclydon,
They are using this site due to it’s proximity to foundary operations that make the engine block and cylinder head. Janesville and Oshawa are clearly too far away. GM’s engine casting operations are in Michigan and this plant needs to be built now. If they built it in any of the other three sites they would have to tear down a plant that is still operating - those plants aren’t closed yet.
Al
My car gets 100mpg…if I get out and push! Can I claim the $10M purse - second runner-up?
I look forward to seeing how GM and the EPA handle this situation. MPGe (equivalent) is a solution, or maybe electrical efficiency ratings will be used. There may come a time when people cross-shop cars like fridges and kWhr consumption ratings becomes an important metric - the deciding factor. Won’t electricity and fuel prices eventually stabilize though?
Also, I thought electrical cars were around 75 MPGe. Shouldn’t GM be very careful how this info is dispersed? Customer expectations are already forming. I have already seen several news releases claiming a 100MPG rating for the Volt - which sounds like it may have a rather large * and some very small fine print. If you have info on how the 100MPG rating is explained, please share.
motorman
euroclydon,since transporting the engines is now getting very expensive maybe it is cost effective to build there. it is also like remodeling your house or buying a new one,with a new one you can have the best of everything where when you remodel you have to compromise and the same could be true here.
James
another boring sedan from gm. yay! (sarcasam) stop with the malibu design carryover… go more chevy wtcc ultra and less with malibu. this segment should appeal to the under 30 crowd and well this is just a big FAIL!
well it wont sell on looks. hope the fuel economy and quality is makes up for it.
and cruze is a horrible name…. wonder which focus group came up with that
Euroclydon
“They are using this site due to it’s proximity to foundry operations that make the engine block and cylinder head. Janesville and Oshawa are clearly too far away. GM’s engine casting operations are in Michigan and this plant needs to be built now.”
Thanks David. That’s a specific reason that does make sense.
motorman
the shipping costs are getting very high so that is why these engines are not being manufactured in china or mexico but in the good old USA.
Sheth
People worried about GM spilling the beans too early need to relax. Advance information about products is always available. Other automakers can not change course in the middle of a redesign just to meet benchmarks. The Cruze will be on sale next spring in Europe and thus Honda or anyone else can get their hands on one in 6 months or so. Its ridiculous to act like GM has somehow given their competitors an extraordinary advantage by merely showing pcitures of a car and talking about it’s fuel economy. The 2006 civic wasnt really more efficient than it’s predecessor so it seems like quite a leap of faith to assume the next gen model will easily top 40mpg on the highway. We have zero gas only cars that acheive 40+ mpgs now but folks want us to believe that the unveiling of the Cruze will instantly lead to a plethora of 40mpg cars by 2011. If Honda intends to produce a civic with that type of mileage I am pretty sure they will do so with or without knowledge of the Cruze.
jw
I also was not a big fan of the Cruze until I saw it in person (in Flint). When you do, I’m betting it will change your mind on the styling and looks. It is exceedingly well crafted. The design aesthetics and small details are really well done and don’t really come through in the pictures. I’ve driven Hondas and Toyotas with no complaints but I will tell you they would both be wise (as one poster suggested) to re-design the civic and the corolla to catch up to the design cues coming on the Cruze.
Edwin
Frank Henries,
Your critique of tax breaks for new American plants is way off. The liberal media talking points are just wrong.
Ever heard of US federal tax breaks for the foreign auto makers? They are called Foreign Trade Zones. And where was the liberal media, sure not calling this a bailout for the foreign competition.
Yea, thats right, your federal government has been giving tax breaks/exemptions to pay for the Foreign owned transplants (assembly plants used to off load imported parts and engines) in the USA called Foreign Trade Zones in order to flood the market and undermine the American auto industry. These hand-outs to the foreign competition are part of the Anti-America liberal agenda by the Congress. (The precedent for helping the foreign transplants with Foreign Trade Zones was started the Democratic Adminstration in the 1990s).
Meanwhile American auto companies paid 80 percent of the money for research into alterantives by the departmet of Energy, only 20 percent from the federal government.
Let’s remember how the US Federal Reserve helped Japan when it had to bail its banks from their banking crisis. Which banks were in crisis? One of the largest failures was the United Financials of Japan (UFJ) formed from the TOYO Trust of Toyota. The UFJ, one of the largest share holders of Toyota, supports the value of Toyota shares.
Why not let’s have the Federal Reserve help American stockholders of the US Auto Industry instead.
Then there’s the hundreds of billions of dollars handed out by the US Congress to the World Bank at 0-4 % to fund projects overseas which help foreign manufacturers. Projects like roads and powerplants. Much of the money is often never paid back to the American taxpayer, and the loans are even forgiven when the foreign countries default.
The US funded World Bank (Headquartered in Washington, DC), has an in office Bankok, Thailand, nearby you’ll find a new Toyota Plant. But it took long years of planning and investment by the US Congress through the World Bank to get the place ready for Toyota. Thailand is a special place for Toyota, which has three plants there, and offers many low wage jobs. US funded World Bank money played a key role in development infrastucture in Gateway City and Samut Prakan, Thailand where Toyota has its new plants. Just one example of American tax dollars at work in Thailand helping Toyota do its small part for the landscape of Thailand.
The US Federal Reserve gave more hand-outs to the foreign competition right after September 11, 2001 attacks when the US Federal Reserve let Japan manipulate purchases of US currency during a crisis despite protests by American auto makers.
Oh and then there’s the trade cheating, and the foreign automakers inflating their paper horsepower numbers. But there’s no liberal media talking points there.
The foreign companies can’t wait to sell to America, the world’s largest auto market so they can take the profits out of the USA.
The benefit costs and health care costs for American workers is driven up by another special interest which has a hold on the US Congress.
Ask your Congress to help American business in the USA for a change.
American jobs for Americans pay America’s bills, and the bills for the rest of the world.
See the truth
I’m really confused about the comments that GM announced their electric car prematurely. The actually already had an electric car that was working great with a fairly substancial list of people who wanted to invest. Leading the way would have been the ticket to survival but for some reason the car was pulled and taken away from all of those leasing who pleaded to buy it. I have to say, it’s late in bringing it back out and especially after killing the earlier working version.
I’m interested in the reasons for the recall of the first electric cars. Was it because of deals with the oil companies? I know the train industry was killed by deals the car makers and oil companies had with the govt. so what was this one about?
Wish I could say I’m sorry but I’d just once like to see some leaders paving the way for the right reasons. We needed alternative technology years ago. We are not leading. In fact we are behind much of the world at this point. Why are we supposed to buy from GM?
Phil
I’m sorry, but TRANSPARENCY IS FOR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, not product announcements.
Nissan can go from a sketch on a dinner napkin to a car IN YOUR LOCAL SHOWROOM in 20 months, and that was what we saw from them 3 years ago. No telling how good they are now.
If the entire world knows what GM is doing that they are not, it’s all too easy for them to adjust rapidly
because that’s exactly what they’ve been doing to ward EACH OTHER OFF, much less GM.
But you are too stupid to know that evidently, and you’ve never seen the rapid shifts in the European market when one competitor makes a leadership move. Look what happened when Mercedes
announced ‘Blue’ deisel technology. All Euro marketers went crazy.
All I’m asking is to be surprised by a car that I can buy in a few months instead of in TWO YEARS!!!
Foolish Chrysler beats Camaro to market with Challenger, a car they never would have built if they hadn’t known the Camaro was on it’s way over 3 years ago…
Honda is trying to stomp Toyota’s heart out with it’s new Insight, etc etc etc.
This is COMPETITION, my friends.
Phil
Moreover, now what happens if GM fails to bring the Volt to market by 2010 due to eventualities of a damaged economy???
Everybody will laugh their heads off, as SOMEONE ELSE introduces a viable model…
Phil
You don’t look like a follower when you introduce a superior car TO THE MARKET before your
competitors rather than TALK ABOUT IT. That’s why Honda keeps it’s mouth shut, and so do a whole bale of others who ACTUALLY BUILD SUPERIOR CARS.
But Chris can’t understand this simple concept, he’s too busy REACTING TO ACTUAL INTRODUCTIONS and gas price realities anybody should have foreseen,
you get me????
Tim
Phil said: “Nissan can go from a sketch on a dinner napkin to a car IN YOUR LOCAL SHOWROOM in 20 months”
You state that like it’s fact. Do you have a reference? Do you work for Nissan? I am very sceptical of that claim. Plus, something like the Volt has never been done before. Everything is new from the ground up. Everything needs to be designed, engineered, and most importantly, validated before it goes to market.
David
Phil,
Nissan cannot go from a napkin sketch to a showroom in 20 months that’s either a number you pulled out of the air or some hyped quote from Carlos Ghosn. And perhaps the reason that their quality is in the doldrums and has been since they became part of Renault is because of trying to go from sketch to vehicle in 20 months. It’s not possible and vehicles like the underbaked Titan and Quest are proof.
Phil
It’s not impossible because on most of their products they UPDATE existing architectures
without having to design all-new engines. Just like the run GM had with the 3800 V6 thru the 80s
and 90s, the VQ has been getting upgrades for many years.
So since it’s in almost everything they make, and the flexible platforms allow many different kinds of vehicles off one platform, and their plants are just as flexible, it’s easy to go from sketch to showroom in a short period of time. When it really wants to, GM does it now in 27 months, so I don’t see why you guys look at this as some great leap of faith, since flexibility was the advantage the Japanese have had over Detroit for 17 years. Chrysler did 24 months with Challenger. At least GM and Ford are closing this gap rapidly as we speak.
Go back and research development times mentioned for various programs and you’ll see the factoids…
Tim
Phil,
I don’t see how updating existing architectures, and using existing engines is “a sketch on a dinner napkin”. Yeah, using parts bin stuff to make a new model I could see happen fairly quick. But I take a dinner napkin sketch to be a brand new, from the ground up vehicle (like the Volt), not a new body style based on existing platforms and engines.
David
Phil,
Now you are talking about a 20 month timeframe for a Mid-cycle enhancement? Which is it? A new vehicle or a repackaging of an existing vehicle? Sometimes an existing vehicle isn’t good enough and no amount of dressing up will fix it. Sometimes it is. GM went from the launch of the Epsilon Malibu in 2003 to an “all new” Malibu in 2006. The only thing “all new” about the 2007 Malibu is the body and interior; it’s still an Epsilon and shares a lot of components with the previous car. Is that what you are talking about? Because if it is; GM is absolutely capable of it - and they are capable of launching it without it being rife with problems like the Nissan.
Blue Wing
“I also was not a big fan of the Cruze until I saw it in person (in Flint). When you do, I’m betting it will change your mind on the styling and looks. It is exceedingly well-crafted.”
JW,
Did seeing one in person change your opinion of the name?
You say the one you saw was well-crafted. Do you think they would put on display one that wasn’t?
Vincent Stanford
How about bringing the Cruze diesel from the EU market over here.
150 hp?
236 lb-ft of torque?
Sports sedan performance?
Hybrid fuel economy?
What’s to not like?
Bring one over here, soonest!
Blue Wing
“How about bringing the Cruze diesel from the EU market over here.”
Vincent,
Yes, that would be nice. If only Congress could get its act together and bring the EPA to its senses with regards to diesel car engines.
Have you noticed that VW is now bringing their 50-state compliant turbo-diesel to the U.S. market?
GM let Toyota beat it to the punch with the hybrid Prius, and is now letting VW beat them to market with a clean diesel.
Brady Turley
I’m still thinking we got designers from Dodge who only know how to create one front end design and paste it on every other car. Malibu, Cruise, Volt, Traverse..please don’t paste these on the trucks. And, please, variate the designs, don’t make every car look the same. You already screwed the Volt. Making it look like every other car on the road is the exact opposite of what should have been done. Its a different kind of car, it deserved a different design..like the concept! This front end sharing is getting sickening.
Brett J
Why don’t electric vehicles have the battery as plug in/ plug out (similar to plug and play) where the batteries are under contract to a service provider that switches them out at refuelling stations (or mobile)? Why do designers essentially believe the batteries are a car part and not merely a fuel/energy provider? I don’t expect a petrol plant in my car to process ‘whatever’, so why are electric car designers being hindered by this? I think GM is capable of sending the fueling ability to ACDelco under contract and leave the future Volt designs to contain a ‘whilst fuelled’ and ‘transfering fuel’ expectation without an ‘accumulating fuel’ phase or a significant ‘generating fuel’ phase.
Good luck creating your new initiatives!
Euroclydon
Good point Brett,
One would think that standardized, modular batteries that can fit equally well into a number of brands of cars would be the way to go. (When my flashlight needs new batteries, I just find the nearest store that cells D-cells, and I’m off to the races. Why shoudl an electric car be different?) Then when the battery is close to being discharged, you could pull into a service station where they would swap the battery for a fully charged one. You would pay for the kilowatt-hours in the newly-installed battery, plus a service charge for having it done. You would also receive a credit for the kilowatt-hours remaining in the battery you just turned in. (Several urban dwellers have complained that they won’t be able to recharge a Volt because they have to park in the street. Swapping modular batteries would solve that problem for them.)
With such a system it shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes to slide out the old battery and slide in a newly-charged one.
Tim
Euroclydon,
First, the battery pack in the Volt will weigh in at around 400lbs. That’s not an easy part to swap.
Second, Lithium Ion batteries generate a lot of heat, and I’m pretty sure the Volt’s battery pack will have coolant lines of some sort running through the pack, so it’s not like just disconnecting two wires.
Third, with battery packs that are hundreds of volts and have an enormous amount of energy in them, one mistake could electricute some trying to swap it. Think of how many people make mistakes while swapping or charging their lead-acid battery right now. Imagine those mistakes with the power of one of these batteries behind it.
Fourth,
Think of how many batteries a service station would have to have on hand on a given day. Think of a gas station that serves 1000 cars per day. Are they going to have 1000 batteries on hand at all times? Yes I know they can charge them throughout the day, but they would still need a significant stock.
Fifth,
Lets say I just bought my brand new electric car and I discharged the battery in 300 miles. Now you want me to swap out my brand new battery with some old crappy one that has 100,000 miles and doesn’t maintain charge as well, doesn’t deliver current as well and let someone else have mine? I don’t think so.
Sixth,
How would you determine in a few minutes how many kilowatt hours were left on your old battery you turned in? I doubt there is a simple gauge telling exactly how many are left. You could estimate based on vehicle data, but like I said in point number 5, new and old batteries aren’t going to act the same.
Sorry, I don’t see swapping battery packs any time soon.
Euroclydon
You’re right, it’s not going to happen, but there is no reason if couldn’t have — had GM thought far enough ahead and reached out to Toyota, Honda, Daimler, Puegeot, etc to come up with a standardized, modular car battery.
The main reason it’s not going to happen is that the Volt is built around the battery. From all I’ve seen, it won’t be an easy thing to get out. But it could have been designed to be modular and slide out of the car easily ~ with enough foresight.
Rechargeable car batteries (fitting all cars) could have looked something like torpedoes about 18″ across and six feet long that slide down rails into a port in the back of the car. Open the port, position a rolling rack with matching rails at the back of the car, slide out the discharged battery and slide in a new one in a matter of seconds. The new one could have mated with contacts deep inside the car.
As for measuring kilowatt hours in either a freshly charged or almost discharged battery? Piece of cake. The difference between the two is the energy you’d pay for when you got a newly charged battery.
As for getting a crappy old battery in exchange for your new one: You wouldn’t be paying for the battery, you’d be paying for the electricity it contained and delivered to your car. Have you ever seen those refillable Blue Rhino propane tanks at a convenience store? Same idea.
A rechargeable battery service station would have to have a 1,000 or more batteries on hand if they were planning on being successful. Liquid fuel stations have enough gasoline (tens of thousands of gallons) in inventory to refuel 1,000s of cars each day. What would be unusual about a battery swap station being able to swap batteries for 1,000s of cars each day?
But as I said, you’re right ~ it’s not going to happen. It would have required too much cooperation between car companies to reach consensus on a standard, modular battery. Can you imagine GM and Toyota ever agreeing on such a thing?
David T Edwards
I read that after the battery runs down in the Volt, the engine supplies power for the electric motors and to recharge the battery. If the Volt will run with power from the engin/generator, why not sell it with out the battery pack. I use to drive an old fork lift that was equiped with a engine/generator. dte
Nigel Gamecock
“If the Volt will run with power from the engine/generator, why not sell it without the battery pack?”
David,
That question has been asked many times on this blog, and GM has never answered.
When the battery is discharged, the Volt will be little more than a small, heavy car powered by a 1.4 liter engine needing to haul around a discharged battery . Wouldn’t it be more efficient and less expensive to take that heavy battery out and let people operate the Volt as a series -hybrid where the electric drive train always receives its power from the super-efficient, constant rpm, on board internal combustion engine (ICE)? The car’s initial price would be far less without the battery, and fuel economy would zoom without the need to haul that heavy battery around all the time.
A pure engine/generator, series-hybrid would get very good mileage while costing much less than the Volt with its expensive Li-ion battery.
motorman
with gasoline at close to $2 a gallon who is going to buy a $40K electric car as a second car ???